Corning apARTment tour fun, beneficial

What once was little more than a dream of city planners has developed into a trend that was put on display Sunday afternoon on Market Street.

Jeffery Smith

What once was little more than a dream of city planners has developed into a trend that was put on display Sunday afternoon on Market Street.

Hundreds filled the street touring several of the apartments recently developed on the upper floors of Market Street buildings. About a dozen units were included in the tour.

“It's been a wonderful day,” said Pam Weachock, owner of Market Street Coffee & Tee, which sponsored the apARTment tour. “The weather has been great and a lot of people have come out to take a look at the apartments.”

The push to renovate the upper floors of Market Street buildings is geared to invigorate the downtown area.

The projects help create more foot traffic and breathe more life into the center of the city.

The newest project on display Sunday was the planned renovations to the Henkel Building.

Elise Johnson-Schmidt, architect for the project, said the upper four floors of the five-story building will be renovated into living space. The project is expected to be completed next spring.

“It's good to see the newest chapter in the upper floor living on Market Street,” said Johnson-Schmidt, who began pushing for upper floor development nearly 10 years ago as director of the Market Street Restoration Agency. “It's good to see all the strides that have been made.”

Marc Dennis, who recently moved into an apartment located above Route 81 radio, said he loves living in the center of the city.

“It reminds me of the loft I had in Brooklyn,” Dennis said. “It has the original maple floor, the high ceilings, it's a great place to work and live.”

The proceeds of the event are contributed to The ARTS' Arts in Education Programs. The program helps fund arts-in-education programs at local school districts.